By Harry Mottram, and Local Democracy Reporters Daniel Mumby and Johm Wimperis. As the United Kingdom is set to head to the polls on July 4 for the general election, five candidates for different political parties have thrown their hats into the ring in Bath.
When an election is called MPs no longer become MPs but candidates if they are not standing down.
Bath is currently represented by Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse, having defeated Conservative Ben Howlett in 2017 and, she was re-elected in 2019 with over 54% of the vote.
She will be emboldened by a decisive Liberal Democrat victory in the local elections, which saw them win all but two council seats in the city itself (with two going to the Greens).
Wera Hobhouse is a very visible MP locally and has asked large numbers of questions in parliament of Government ministers on a range of issues including those relating to women and girls. Her private members bill to amend the Sexual Offences Act was eventually successful to add the offence of upskirting to the law.
Conservative challenger James Wright is hoping to return the seat to the Tories who have held the seat from 1931 to 1992 when Don Foster for the Lib Dems was victorious. Ben Howlett held the seat for the Conservatives in 2015.
As a Somerset farmer James Wright pitches himself as friendly to the business community and as a strong critic of the current Liberal Democrat controlled Council for their policies on traffic, transport and cuts to local services.
Dan Bewley for Labour will be hoping to increase their share of the vote but pundits suggest he is the outsider in the election. Older Bathonians will recall when Bath had several Labour Councillors and will point to Labour’s Clare Moody winning the recent Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) election. With a national swing to Labour it cannot be ruled out that he could do very well, since Labour are now the official opposition on the Council.
Reform UK’s Theresa Hall will be hoping to pick up the votes of those who are unhappy with the way Brexit has worked out and inherit the support of UKIP.
Last time the Green Party in Bath entered an electoral agreement with the Lib Dems not to stand but now their candidate Dominic Tristram will have a chance to build on the strong showing of the Greens in the recent PCC election and local Council elections.
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